TO MAKE A LIST, OR NOT TO MAKE A LIST. THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Before we get to the real subject of this post, one more note on Emily’s field trip to Dallas and their dinner at that expensive restaurant. It was Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty at the top of Reunion Tower, and Emily gave the atmosphere rave reviews but she said the food was not spectacular. It’s obvious she has been spoiled by my cooking. I mean I do make a delicious hot pork sandwich, very tasty nachos, and my Hamburger Helper is second to none. So it’s no wonder she wasn’t impressed with Mr. Puck’s offerings.

But enough about Emily. Let's talk about me. I can’t decide whether or not to make a list of all the things I need to do before her graduation. The question is: Do I really want all those tasks written down in black and white so that every time I see THE LIST, I’ll realize how little I’ve accomplished? Or should I continue living in blissful ignorance, doing things hit or miss and just hoping for the best?

I did finally get around to ordering the invitations, or at least my precious and accomplished niece Amanda did. So if I did make a list, I could check that off. And last time I was at Sam’s, I bought 300 clear plastic forks and 280 plastic cups in bright spring colors...so I feel I am well on my way to a lovely event. But who really knows? Without a list, I mean. And yes, I’m expecting that many guests at Emily’s reception, but only because we’re combining the party with four of her friends. So that’s why I bought that many forks and cups. Not that I don’t tend to overbuy on just about everything, but this time I was just following instructions.

I’ve also made progress on the sleeping arrangements for the 30-or-so relatives descending on us for Graduation Weekend 2010 (GW2010). I’ve reserved a house that sleeps 12 for my favorites, and the rest will have to bunk at my house. Just kidding of course. They’re all my favorites. But still, the ones that read my blog might get preferential treatment. Just saying. I also made up a bracket for an arm-wrestling tournament for the single people coming to GW2010. The top five finishers will get the non-deflatable beds and the rest will be on air mattresses. Of course, after I announced the seeds I was harangued with complaints. Everyone's a critic you know. But I will stand by my seedings and will not give in to any strong-armed tactics. Yes. I can also do clever puns.

But I think the real reason I am avoiding making that list is that suddenly my normally stoic Emily has turned on me and become "emotional" about this graduation. I mean several weeks ago we were tooling down the road and listening to that awful, awful Taylor Swift song where she talks about her mom (I think it’s called "The Best Day") and I love it but every time I hear it I become a mess of course. And I rely on Emily to laugh at me and tell me I’m ridiculous. But on this particular day I glance over at her and see these huge tears welling up in her eyes. And she knows this will make me crazy, and so she looks sheepish too. So what am I supposed to do? If she can’t be strong, then I have no choice but to live in denial, which means NOT making any lists which might make this whole thing seem more real. Because we can’t both be blubbering idiots.

I have much more to say, but it will have to wait. I took the girls to our new Chinese restaurant for lunch. It’s less than a block from my house which will be nice and convenient...unless it turns out to be one of those fronts for the Chinese mafia. But I don’t think it will.